Kari's Rating: 4.5/10
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-Live singer was phenomenal, but the never ending house-music was SO LOUD we couldn't have a conversation and ended up yelling and lost both voices
-Worth experiencing once, but not worth the $300 price tag without drinks
-One of the most beautiful restaurants I've seen in Ibiza
This was our last dinner in Ibiza, and my friend--who's been to the island four different times--insisted we end our trip at Tatel. He'd been before and said it was one of the experiences we couldn't miss.
The second we walked through the doors, I knew this wasn't going to be just dinner.
The restaurant is absolutely gorgeous. Everywhere you looked there were lush florals, warm fairy lights, oversized gold mirrors, and extravagant décor. It felt like someone combined an upscale Michelin-starred restaurant with a royal jungle. Even though the dining room is intentionally dark, every corner somehow still catches your eye.
Unfortunately, we were seated directly underneath the sound system. Within about two minutes I asked our waiter if the music could be turned down because it was incredibly loud. Little did I know there was a live performance about to begin. A singer came out with an incredible voice and started performing everything from Mamma Mia classics to other popular songs that had the entire restaurant singing and dancing.
She was honestly fantastic.
The only downside? The volume never changed. We literally couldn't hear each other for the rest of dinner. I happened to have professional concert earplugs from a recent show in my purse, and I actually wore them through dinner because I didn't want to leave with ringing ears. That's probably a first for me at a restaurant.
IT WAS SO LOUD. I'm actually so upset about that. It was a horrible experience because of that. Both of us literally strained our voices so much just to talk we ended up having scratchy throats when we left.
Onto the food-To start, they brought over warm, freshly baked bread with butter and green olives. The bread was fluffy, soft, and absolutely delicious. My only tiny complaint--and I've noticed this all over Europe--is that everything seems to need just a little more salt.
We ordered the scallops with roasted poblano peppers and Tatel's signature mashed potatoes. Presentation? Beautiful. The scallops arrived still sitting in their shells on a gorgeous serving display. They had a nice sear, and one of mine was cooked perfectly. Another, however, was a little underdone.
My biggest complaint was that the scallops weren't detached from their shells, so we had to scrape each one off ourselves before eating which means I accidentally ate some of the shells-ruining the scallop and almost cracking my teeth.
The roasted peppers looked amazing and had a nice char, but they didn't have much flavor beyond that. I ended up squirting some Lemon from the scallops and adding salt and pepper from the table on them.
Now...the mashed potatoes.
These were probably my favorite thing we ate all night. Rich, creamy, buttery, and incredibly smooth. They were served in a tiny measuring cup, which honestly confused me because I thought it was a sauce that belonged on the peppers.
The table next to us ordered Tatel's signature veal, and the waiter prepared it tableside. He laid out a paper-thin piece of veal, topped it with two poached eggs, and shaved fresh truffle over the entire dish. Even just watching it being made felt like part of the entertainment.
For our main course, we ordered the T-bone steak.
Again, presentation absolutely delivered.
It was already carved before it was served on a large Himalayan salt block covered with flaky sea salt. It looked incredible.
Unfortunately, we ordered it medium rare, and it came out much closer to rare. We both joked it would actually make an amazing leftover because another few minutes in the oven would've probably made it perfect.
The beef itself was clearly high quality, but because it sat on the salt block, every bite became saltier than the last. There was also a significant amount of fat--great for flavor, but nearly a third of my steak wasn't edible.
Overall, I completely understand why people recommend Tatel.
It's energetic, glamorous, beautifully designed, and feels more like dinner and a show than just a restaurant. The service was wonderful, the entertainment was excellent, and the atmosphere was one of the best we experienced in Ibiza.
That said, when your dinner costs nearly $300, I expect the food to be just as memorable as everything surrounding it.
For me, it wasn't.
I'm really glad we experienced it once, but I don't think it's somewhere I'd personally return.
